Everyone is now talking about driving traffic to your website however if the website is not hosted according to simple rules the website may not be able to manage the traffic driven to it. The following news article provides some food for thought on whether your website could ‘Take The Strain’.

Website failure is every marketer’s nightmare. Websites can be strained during the January sales, in the run-up to Valentine’s Day, or following a successful marketing campaign. Currently, Sunsilk is running a major viral campaign, leading consumers to a website with a risque movie of a male model in the shower. In order to fully take advantage of assets such as these, marketers need to make sure that their websites can cope with the increased number of visitors. So, what do marketers need to consider from a technology perspective to ensure that their online marketing campaigns are a success?

With the rise of microsites, viral campaigns and search marketing, technology has become a vital enabler for marketing departments. It may seem like an obvious step, but technology needs to be considered from the outset when carrying out any online marketing activity. All too often, this hasn’t been the case and the result has been that instead of helping marketing, technology has failed it. A classic example of this was when, in December 2005, the Argos website was temporarily unavailable due to an unanticipated pre-Christmas rush.

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However, it is not the technology that is to blame; it is the people who have not adequately considered the implications of carrying out online marketing. To put it simply, companies do not realise that their websites or viral campaigns will fail if they cannot cope with the extra traffic generated. Instead, most focus on developing sites and campaigns that are highly creative and innovative. Surely that’s what marketers are supposed to do? Of course they are, but as they are now using websites to deliver these campaigns they must consider what happens if these sites become overloaded.

So how does this happen? Primarily, an unanticipated and overwhelming number of users accessing the website can cause it to slow, or become completely unavailable. A flood of users all trying to access the same resources at the same time can place an unbearable strain on web resources.

Websites can also fail if they aim too high. Sites hosting long videos, music for download or large image files can be overwhelmed if too many people try to download too much at once. Marketers need to consider what will be on the site, how it will be used and whether sufficiently good infrastructure is in place to support the website. It is important to discuss arrangements with whoever will be hosting the site and make sure that they are aware of the approximate level of traffic expected to the site at the various stages of the campaign, so that they can ensure there is enough bandwidth available to cope with the level of traffic that the campaign generates.

Marketers should also think about having a contingency plan to ensure their site can cope if it is flooded with users. It is wise to make sure that someone will be looking after the IT side of things rather than simply arranging for someone to host the site and then forgetting about it. As well as guaranteeing that the website operates smoothly, this person will be able to provide stats such as the number of website hits and average stay duration, ideal for explaining the success of the campaign to senior management. Covering these options will ensure that technology works in favour of the website and optimises the marketing campaign, rather than being its downfall.

By taking a proactive approach and thinking about requirements from the start rather than reacting to individual problems as and when they occur, website issues can be anticipated and solved well in advance. Marketers who ignore technology run the risk of having their campaigns fail miserably – not only would the site fail to attract any new customers on that day, but all of the marketing efforts to date would be wasted. Consumers may be drawn to a competitor, which means that the campaign is effectively subsidising their marketing efforts rather than yours.

By considering the technology requirements that need to be in place to support online marketing initiatives, technology can help rather than hinder marketing efforts. Consumers will be able to access all sections of the website without interruption, and if they recommend the site to colleagues or friends, these people will also be able to access the website easily. In the case of viral campaigns, the increase in people viewing the viral element should proceed without any interruptions or plateaus due to website performance.

If technology is considered from the beginning, maximum impact and ROI can be attained for marketing campaigns, but also, any bad PR from website failure can be avoided. Too many companies have found themselves under an uncomfortably bright spotlight after their sites groaned under the weight of an unexpected number of mouse clicks. By taking a few simple precautions, IT can make online marketing campaigns as successful as possible.